India’s population has more than quadrupled in the last 75 years. But with a fragile medical system and continued stigma around women in the workforce, India seems ill-prepared for the title of world’s most populous country. Sadly, for elderly citizens of this nation, growing old appears grim.
Wisdom, understanding, righteousness—God ascribes positive traits to those who reach old age. His followers honor older people. (Leviticus 19:32)
Many countries around the world treat elderly citizens with respect. Yet researchers like Anjal Prakash call India’s policy for caring for older people a “dark spot.”
India is the world’s largest democracy. It’s urban and rural, modern and undeveloped, lavish and poor at the same time.
Overall, the country has a booming workforce and young population. But in the Indian state of Kerala, the percentage of people age 60 and over has skyrocketed. The future for these citizens appears challenging.
In one neighborhood of Kochi, Kerala’s financial capital, 65-year-old Zainaba Ali lives in a small room in her daughter’s house. As a young person, Ali worked in the Middle East as a cleaner. Eventually, arthritis and other health problems prevented her from working. She returned to India.
“I receive a small pension from the government, but that hasn’t come through in months,” Ali says. Her daughter doesn’t work. Her son is a daily laborer. “Even buying medicines has become difficult.”
In India, the government gives people over 60 about $20 per month—usually not enough for basics. Many seniors rely on their children to survive.
Flooding and heat waves further burden Kerala’s older generation. A flood in 2018 sank large parts of Kochi. Summer months are hot and long, rains more erratic and intense. Ali talks of using “umbrellas inside the house” and “absolutely unbearable” temperatures.
Beyond this, there’s a growing desire among Indian young people to live elsewhere. Poonam Muttreja studies India’s population. She says many young people travel abroad as school teachers or nurses. A steady migration flows from Kerala to Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and North America.
The movement of younger people away from India means fewer people to care for older relatives and increased demand for more specialized care facilities and staff.
“Getting qualified employees is a big challenge today,” says Alex Joseph, trustee for an assisted living center.
“Kerala probably sends out more nurses to the rest of the world” than anywhere, Joseph says. “To get them to stay here and work here for long periods is extremely difficult.”
Why? Proper planning and care for elderly populations is an important part of fulfilling God’s commands. Growing populations fill the Earth, but doing so brings focus to the younger generations’ responsibilities toward their elders.
